As women protested violence and unequal treatment around the world yesterday, some of New York's most visible caregivers came out to ensure that members of their ancient, massive industry are no longer left behind.

On Thursday, millions of women in countries across the globe took to the streets in honor of International Women's Day and the International Women's Strike, which seek to promote and strengthen women's positions, safety and work throughout society. In New York City, supporters rallied at Washington Square Park in lower Manhattan, where a range of political and professional groups were represented with enthusiasm despite the chilly weather.

In addition to nurses, teachers, graduate students, and numerous social organizations, a contingent of NYC-area strippers and sex workers were on hand to address the many dangers and downsides to their multibillion-dollar industry.

Melissa Broudo, co-director of the Brooklyn-based nonprofit SOAR Institute, which advocates for the rights of sex workers, and which organized the contingent at Thursday's event, commented via Facebook Messenger that the group sought to draw attention to the violence, disrespect, and unfair wage practices they frequently face as workers.

"Sex work is work, and needs to be recognized and supported as such by all. This involves standing by the NYC Stripper Strike, the decriminalization of prostitution, and improved labor conditions across the industry," Broudo said. "We are excited to join forces with broader women's rights groups today to raise awareness and reinforce solidarity amongst us all."

Gizelle Marie, a New York-based stripper and activist, who helped organize January's NYC Stripper Strike, was one of a handful of speakers to address the crowd of several hundred New Yorkers and visitors near Washington Square Arch before an evening march through lower Manhattan.

En route to the historic Stonewall Inn, one of the march's planned stops, several of the contingent's members weighed in on the scale and variety of problems that continue to plague their industry, even as #MeToo momentum has started finding its way into 9-to-5 workplaces.

Mz. Holly Hoodz, an artist, dancer, and teacher who hosts a podcast about strippers' experiences onstage and off, commented that upscale strip clubs are often the source of greater personal hazards and financial exploitation than urban clubs, which are more willing to hire black women with a range of skin tones, at least.

"Upscale clubs do not hire black girls, period," she said. "They want a certain look, want to you talk a certain way while you're there, and that led to the development of urban clubs."

Chanel, who works full time as a stripper but also finds time to babysit and develop her artwork, commented, "But once we were in a position of power, the trend backfired, and clubs started leaning toward lighter-skinned girls, making so many black dancers even more vulnerable."

Vanity Redz, who's been active in raising awareness of strippers' abuse and exploitation, explained, "Our whole platform for the movement has to do with colorism, sexism, and discrimination in the industry." She noted that the vast majority of clubs treat women as disposable workers, not as respected employees or contractors, and don't hesitate to deduct 'house fees' that can easily total hundreds of dollars a night from dancers' pay, which is often late or withheld.

In both upscale and urban clubs (but especially the former), strippers are expected to pay between $100 and $300 a night simply to get onstage, which means slow nights for the club end up subsidized by dancers themselves, who may end a shift in the red.

In upscale clubs, Chanel explained, strippers are also required to pay for a long list of in-house services, including hair, makeup, tattoo coverage, DJ, bartender, and "house mom," who's charged with looking after dancers' things while they're onstage and functions somewhere between manager and madam.

Strippers can also be assessed fees for having their phones with them in customer areas, or for calling in sick, and a host of other behaviors that virtually no other industry's workers will incur, the group said.

"People have the idea that strippers are bringing in tons of money, but I'm making $40,000 a year -- the same amount as any other recent college graduate, but with an independent contractor's taxes -- at a full-time job that I enjoy, plus part-time jobs, and yet I'm discriminated against for housing, and banking, and have to pay enormous club fees on top of it," Chanel said.

Holly recalled being forced to pay $1000 in fees before she could even return to work on one occasion, and many nights when she walked away with little or nothing to show for her hours of work. She also pointed out that strippers typically have no ability to seek recourse or compensation for the violence and harassment they consistently face.

Once, when a customer misplaced his phone in a New Jersey club's champagne room, management accused her of theft, after which a club bouncer punched her in the face and literally threw her out into the frozen night "butt naked." The phone was soon found, and the patron himself called the cops on the strip club -- something that only patrons and club neighbors, never management, are likely to do when dancers suffer any sort of attack, the women said.

All of these issues exist despite the fact that stripping is a regulated industry in NYC, Holly noted, and one that's frequented by many of the legal movers and shakers who fail to address dancers' plight. While many men are happy to follow she and her fellow strippers on social media or visit them in clubs, they also generally fail to show their support for dancers in the outside world, she said.

Chanel added that between the discrimination she faces as a black woman and as a stripper, along with the high cost of living in New York, she is both exhausted and fed up; she's also no longer willing to be exploited at every turn, she said.

According to social activists and organizers, NYC's tens of thousands of strippers and sex workers feel much the same way and are determined to be heard as well as seen going forward.

For more words and faces from the NYC Women's Strike and Rally, check out the gallery below.

I'm a freelance writer covering tech, media, science, and culture. My background includes the areas of writing, editing, and education, and I received Bachelor and Master of Arts Degrees from the University of British Columbia and California State University, East Bay, respe...